2:40 AM
by Jasey Rae1
Summary: Jack shows up at Will's door in the middle of the night with a broken heart. Mostly friendship, I guess you could see slash if you look really really hard though. Oneshot.


Will jumped up from his bed, startled. He glanced at the clock which read 2:40 A.M. in red, glowing numbers. He ran a hand sleepily through his tousled hair and thought for a moment that he had dreamed the loud noises that woke him. Then he heard it again: someone beating on his front door and shaking the doorknob, which caused him to jump up into the air once more.

He stood up and crept into the living room where the banging had seemed to stop. Suddenly, there was one more sharp bang on the door, then a garbled voice.

"Will," It cried, voice choked with sobs, "Open up, please, it's Jack!"

Will scrambled to the door to unlock it and was almost knocked down by Jack who burst through it as soon as the chain was taken off. Jack fell into Will, wrapping his arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder. Will, with a bewildered look on his face, patted his friend on the back.

"What happened to you?" Will asked, kicking the front door shut.

"He left me. He _left_ me, Will. I stopped barhopping for him. I committed myself to him! And he dumped me!" Jack sobbed.

"Simon left you?"

Jack's high pitched squeaks answered him.

"Oh, Jack, I'm sorry," Will murmured, holding Jack's shaking frame tightly, "Come on, let's go sit down."

Will sat down on the couch and pulled a still crying Jack into his lap. He hugged him close to him until the sobs slowed and the tremors stopped.

"You alright now?" Will asked.

Jack sniffed and shrugged in Will's arms.

"Well, let's get you cleaned up and then you can go back to your apartment and get some sleep."

Jack lifted his head off of Will's chest and stared at him with a horrified look.

"Go back to my a-a-apartment?" He stuttered.

"Yeah," Will said with a confused look, "You'll feel better after a good night's sleep."

"But I-I can't," He whimpered, clutching Will's shirt desperately.

"Why not?"

"I haven't slept there in over a month, Will. I'm used to being in his bed with him."

Will looked at him, lost, "So do you want to crash on my couch?"

"No," Jack said sheepishly, ducking his head, "I don't want to sleep alone."

"Oh," Will said as realization dawned on him, "Do you really think that's such a good idea, Jack? Wouldn't that be… weird for you?"

"I just can't be alone right now. Please, Will? It won't mean anything, just you keeping me company. Please don't leave me." Jack pleaded, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes.

The look nearly broke Will's heart in half; he had practically no choice but to agree.

"Fine, fine," He sighed, "Now come on, you can take a shower and I'll get you some clothes to sleep in." Will said, getting up and pulling Jack toward the bathroom.

"Thank you," Jack said, sniffing, "You really are my best friend."

"No problem, buddy," Will replied with a comforting smile.

Jack smiled back and hugged Will tightly before stepping into the bathroom and starting the shower. Will went to his bedroom and shuffled through his drawers and found a pair of pajama bottoms and an old tee shirt that Jack could wear for the night. He took them back to the bathroom, setting them on the sink. He heard Jack choke back a sob and sighed before slipping out of the bathroom quietly.

He went back to his room and crawled back under the mountain of blankets in his bed. His expression was full of worry as he lay in his bed, thinking of Jack's breakdown. He was deeper in thought than he realized because fifteen minutes later when Jack's weight shifted the bed, he was jerked awake.

"Hey, Jack, you feeling any better?" Will asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Not really," Jack answered, sniffing, "I still feel like he ripped my heart out and stomped on it."

"I'm sorry, it'll get better, I promise." Will reassured him.

"Yeah, I guess. I think I might have to go back to my evil ways though."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean just sleeping with every guy I see."

"Why on earth would you start doing that again?" Will asked, propping himself up on his elbow, looking down on his friend.

"Because relationships aren't worth it,"

"Yes they are; you just have to work for them."

"This feeling isn't worth anything. If I just keep my emotions out of everything, I won't get hurt anymore."

"But you won't ever have a decent relationship either."

"Maybe I don't want one."

"You did."

"And then I saw the other side of it. Maybe I'm just wired different, Will. Maybe I'm just a freak."

"You're not a freak, Jack. Come here," Will said sternly, pulling Jack towards him.

Jack rolled his eyes, but scooted over to lay closer to his friend. Will reached out to stroke Jack's still wet hair, who rolled his eyes again but did not resist the fingers on his scalp.

"You just haven't found the right guy yet," Will insisted.

"There's no such thing."

"Yeah there is, you just have to look for him."

"It's not worth it."

"Yes it is and you'll realize it when you find him."

"Whatever, can we just stop talking about this?" Jack huffed, clenching his jaw.

Will didn't push the issue any further; after all, he knew that Jack was heartbroken. This was one of the very few long term relationships that Jack had ever been in and he had been very serious about Simon. He dreamed of their future together and even gave up his favorite pastime: visiting the boy bars.

"Why should I go?" He'd ask when Will would invite him to a bar, "I've already found my man."

And the jerk had left him. Will was fuming, just thinking about it. He had never liked him much anyhow; Simon always told Jack how lucky he was to have him, but never mentioned how lucky he was to have Jack. Jack was kept on a very tight leash and then treated like he wasn't worth Simon's precious time. And yet, Jack showered him with gifts and compliments and attention, anything to please him. Will had never understood how Jack, who typically sought to be the center of attention, could put up with him.

Jack had given up so many things, changed in so many ways, and now his only reason for that was gone. Will wasn't sure how Jack would react to all this. Would he really go back to his old habits or would he continue with his newer behavior, finding a new outlet for his dedication? Will's worried were seemingly endless; his thoughts went on and on until Jack stirred next to him, disrupting his train of thought.

Will glanced at the clock; it had been nearly half an hour, Jack was probably asleep. Will slipped down to get farther beneath the blankets and Jack moved again, this time to slink backwards until his back was pressed against Will's stomach.

"Will?" Jack murmured quietly.

"Mmm?" Will replied, surprised that Jack was still awake.

Jack reached for Will's arm and pulled it around his own waist, snuggling back into his chest.

"Thank you." Jack said softly before letting his eyes drift shut.

Will smiled and pulled Jack even closer to him, after all, Jack _had_ always preferred sleeping in someone else's arms. He felt Jack's breathing fall into a steady pattern before his own evened out and he fell into a very comfortable unconsciousness.  


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A/N: Third Will/Jack fic :) Not exactly romantic, but I like it all the same. Review?


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